November 02, 2012

With Murphy almost on board, Curry will be released

DALLAS -- With the Dallas Mavericks close to signing power forward Troy Murphy to a one-year deal, center Eddy Curry will be released, according to a source.

The reason Curry would be released, according to the source, is because center Chris Kaman is expected to back ready to play in Saturday's home opener against the Charlotte Bobcats. It's also because power forward Dirk Nowitzki is still about a month away from returning to the court, and Murphy spends as much time on the perimeter as Nowitzki.

In other words, the Mavs have a much stronger need right now for a power forward who can stretch the court (Murphy) than a center of Curry's ilk. Murphy, however, still has to pass his physical with the Mavs.

In 715 career games, Murphy averaged 10.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game. He is a career 44.6 percent shooter form the field and 39 percent shooter from three-point range.